Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Another day, another grand slam for a major leaguer on rehab. Read on to find out who got it this time.TransactionsChicago White Sox: activated RHP Matt Lindstrom. The reliever has been out since the end of May with an ankle tendon injury which required surgery. Chicago intends to use him in middle relief initially, but with Jake Petricka blowing a save last night, there will no doubt be more whispers that Lindstrom will return to the closer role before long.Toronto Blue Jays: activated 1B Adam Lind. The move comes after a somewhat confusing few days in which Lind was scratched from a rehab game, followed by reports suggesting he would return on Monday, before finally being activated before Tuesday's game and going 0-for-3 with a strikeout.Day-to-day

The Pirates will be a little more careful with Neil Walker's back injury, with manager Clint Hurdle telling Stephen Pianovich of MLB.com that they will allow Walker to rest more after he reaggravated the injury over the weekend. Hurdle said that the team still had the second baseman involved in baseball activity when he originally hurt his back and clearly believes that didn't help his recovery.

Andrelton Simmons did not play Tuesday as previously hoped, but manager Fredi Gonzalez told MLB.com that he was available off the bench if necessary. The Braves, mired in a 2-8 slump over their last ten games, certainly hope their star shortstop can return soon, especially with replacement Emilio Bonifacio making an error on a ground ball last night.Slow progressCorey Brock of MLB.com writes that Carlos Quentin isn't rushing to see a doctor about his knee soreness. Manager Bud Black told Brock that the team was in no hurry to get Quentin to the specialist because the outfielder was still dealing with discomfort anyway.On the mend

Texas Rangers right-hander Tanner Scheppers won't be making any more appearances in 2014 as a result of elbow inflammation, but he does hope to throw a bullpen before the end of the season, per Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He also told Wilson that he would be a reliever next year; Scheppers tried starting for the Rangers this year but managed just four starts in the big leagues, with two more in the minors, and he had worked predominantly as a reliever prior to 2014.Rehab roundup
Blue Jays fans will be encouraged to hear that Edwin Encarnacion hit a grand slam in his first game with the Buffalo Bisons. Afterwards, he told Joe Sarro of MiLB.com that he is feeling good and he 'ran hard' during his time at Dunedin, when he was on-base during both games. Encarnacion said he was likely to play first base in Wednesday's game after DHing in Tuesday's.

Gerrit Cole won't rejoin the Pittsburgh Pirates for his next turn, but instead will make another start for the Indianapolis Indians. Pianovich reports that Cole will start there on Saturday, with Hurdle saying they are looking for the right-hander to get close to seven innings and 90 pitches before he rejoins the team. Pianovich also notes that teammate Clint Barmes will start his rehab at Double-A Altoona on Wednesday.